Dominant!
Olympiacos bested AEK in OAKA 70-63, holds a 20-1 record following 21 games for the STOIXIMAN.GR Basket League and has embraced the first ranking spot of the regular season. Matt Lojeski was the MVP for the 'reds'.
Our team could not find offensive rhythm in the first quarter. The 'reds' were making a lot of turnovers, were shooting poorly and hence the hosts took a 19-16 lead. In the second quarter, the Piraeus players found rhythm through their defense, Birch and Green changed the tempo coming on the floor, Olympiacos took the lead, but half time found AEK still leading, 37-35.
In the third quarter, the players of Giannis Sfairopoulos, playing an incredible defensive game, ran a partial 16-4 and took a two digit lead for the first time (40 - 51), while the hosts, with Ukic leading, ran a streak of their own for the quarter to end 47-52.
In the last quarter, Milutinov did a great job in the beginning to make the score 47-55, the hosts closed in, but a three by Green made the score 52-60 at 34'. Olympiacos succeeded in keeping the lead despite bad shooting percentages from behind the arc and the score was 58-64 at 37'. From that point on, a partial 2-6 in the following 02:30'' made the score 60-70 and the game practically ended there.
THE POINTS
The quarters: 19-16, 37-35, 47-52, 63-70.
ΑΕΚ (Μanolopoulos): Ukic 9 (1), Charitopoulos, Dixon 14 (2), Newley 4, Μavrokefalidis 11 (1), ΜcGrath, Elonu 8, Vasileiadis, Larentzakis 1, Μavroeidis 10, Τsalbouris, Sakota 6.
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Birch 10, Printezis 11 (10reb), Papanikolaou 2, Mantzaris 10 (2), Spanoulis 2, Green 8 (2), Young, Papapetrou 4, Waters, Milutinov 6, Lojeski 17 (1).
THE QUOTES
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: "We beat a tough opponent playing a very good second half. We missed lot of lay ups in the first half, which incited nervousness. We were nervous in general, all of that made us have second thoughts about the first half. In the second half we relaxed, played correctly and from half of the third quarter on it was important to keep the difference and win. Olympiacos proves for yet another time to be a team of the many. Everyone is necessary; all the guys deserve to be congratulated for their effort to win yet another game. AEK is a team coming from changing its head coach, all the players wanted to prove that things have changed and reverse the feelings deriving from the elimination of the BCL. I think we were nervous in the first half. We lost the rebounds, lay ups without any pressure. Overall, our defense was good. We took a lot of open shots and lay ups and missed them. I believe that in the second half we did what we should have done since the first one".
VANGELIS MANTZARIS: "It was an important victory for us so as to secure the top rank in the Greek League as well as home court advantage. Following the change of the coach, we knew that AEK would have a change in psychology as well. We did not play as would have liked in the first half, but we got better in the second half and got the victory".
DONNIE MCGRATH: "It was a tough game for us. Unfortunately, we did not made shots that we usually make and that's what decided the game. I think we stayed in the game for 40 minutes. However, they played a great defensive game, put a lot of pressure, we were not shooting well and lost. We should have succeeded with a few defensive plays, we did not and that's how we lost".